In general, two forms of automotive antennas find widespread use, i.e., the mast antenna and the windshield antenna. The mast antenna comprises a rod conductor projecting from the vehicle body. It is fairly well established that the mast antenna is subject to deterioration by exposure, is prone to damage from external objects, and is easy prey for vandals. Further, mast antennas may detract from the aesthetic appearance of the vehicle. Of course, the mast antenna may be powered to retract, which adds cost to the vehicle.
Windshield antennas make use of one or more thin conductors embedded within the windshield of the automobile. Windshield antennas are also susceptible to their own problems, such as unnecessary replacement simply because the glass has been damaged. In addition, windshield antennas are reportedly susceptible to various forms of FM distortion, such as “station swapping” and may be sensitive to the direction of vehicle travel. Moreover, operation of the windshield washers may create undesirable effects upon the performance of a windshield antenna including the generation of noise. Furthermore, by mounting the antenna on the exterior or interior of the vehicle as separate components or integrating the antenna into window glass, a need is developed to route antenna cables between the electronic component and the antenna location. Such antenna cable is typically installed and connected by the auto manufacturer during assembly of the vehicle.
In related context, current vehicle electrical systems also require the manufacturer to route a wire harness throughout the vehicle body, and more specifically, through the instrument panel cockpit system. Such wire harnesses are generally bulky, expensive, heavy, difficult to install and often a source of a variety of warranty problems.
Attention is directed to the following U.S. Patents and the art cited therein to provide an even broader consideration of the variety of problems and solutions that have been proposed to date to improve upon antenna placement and/or wiring within an automotive environment: U.S. Pat. No. 3,896,448 “Instrument Panel Radio Antenna”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,166 “Concealed Radio Antenna”; U.S. Pat. No. 4,853,793 “Microstrip Antenna with Stripline And Amplifier”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,732 “Modular Wiring System for Vehicle Instrument Panel Wire”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,857 “Vehicular Windshield Wiper Antenna System”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,239 “Planar Antenna Including A Superstrate Lens Having An Effective Dielectric Constant”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,144,343 “Display Antenna Center”.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a remedy to the problems noted above in addition to the development of an vehicular antenna system that provides some unique advantages not reported in the prior art to date.